First and foremost, I am not trying to "one-up" the other poll. I just want to see how the votes shake out with the list done a bit differently. Feel free to vote/discuss in both threads.
There may perhaps be some debate over whether a couple of the choices above quality or why something else wasn't on the list. But while there are pretty standard, agreed-upon criteria for what may or may not make a song an "epic," when you get close to the edges, I think the lines become a bit blurry. So while I recognize that this list may not be agreed on by everyone, it is what it is. I'm perfectly fine for someone arguing that some other song should quality or that any of the above do not. But, again, with the acknowledgement that there is not really a bright line to tell what is "in" and what is "out," I can easily justify everything that is on and off this list. Yes, some shorter songs certainly qualify as being "epic," but are they epics? Maybe. Maybe not. But this collection of songs, in my mind, mostly clearly qualify, and over the history of the band will probably most universally and consistently be thought of as the band's "epics." Opinions may vary.
Also:
https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=13921.0